Comparative Foliar Atmospheric Mercury Accumulation across Functional Types in Temperate Trees.

Vegetation assimilation of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) represents the largest dry deposition pathway in global terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated Hg accumulation mechanisms in deciduous broadleaves and evergreen needles, focusing on how ecophysiological strategies─reflected by δC, δO, leaf mass per area, and leaf dry matter content-mediated Hg accumulation. Results showed that deciduous leaves exhibited higher total Hg (THg) concentrations and accumulation rates (THg), which were 85.

Mutual mediation effects of homocysteine and PCSK9 on coronary lesion severity in patients with acute coronary syndrome: interplay with inflammatory and lipid markers.

Background: Homocysteine (Hcy) and the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) significantly contribute to atherosclerosis (AS) as well as coronary lesion severity. Our previous work demonstrated that Hcy upregulates PCSK9, accelerating lipid accumulation and AS. A PCSK9 antagonist reduces plasma Hcy levels in ApoE mice.

N-carboxyethyl-lysin influences atherosclerotic plaque stability through ZKSCAN3 acetylation-regulated macrophage autophagy via the RAGE/LKB1/AMPK1/SIRT1 pathway.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by plaque formation, often leads to instability, particularly under Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) conditions, which exacerbate cardiovascular risks. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the correlation between acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and serum levels of Nε-carboxyethyl-lysin (CEL), a prominent advanced glycation end product (AGE) elevated in T2DM, in a cohort of 225 patients with coronary artery disease.

Bisecting GlcNAc modification of vesicular GAS6 regulates CAFs activation and breast cancer metastasis.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a pivotal component of the tumor microenvironment (TME), playing key roles in tumor initiation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. While glycosylation is known to regulate various cellular processes, its impact on CAFs activation remains insufficiently explored.

Methods: We assessed the correlation between bisecting GlcNAc levels and CAFs markers (α-SMA, PDGFRA, PDGFRB) in breast cancer tissues.

A novel peptide encoded by circSRCAP confers resistance to enzalutamide by inhibiting the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of AR-V7 in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background: The sustained activation of androgen receptor splice variant-7 (AR-V7) is a key factor in the resistance of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) to second-generation anti-androgens such as enzalutamide (ENZ). The AR/AR-V7 protein is regulated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase STUB1 and a complex involving HSP70, but the precise mechanism remains unclear.

Methods: High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) in ENZ-resistant and control CRPC cells.

Mitigation of Polysulfide Shuttling in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Utilizing Vanadium Pentoxide/Polypyrrole Nanocomposite Separators.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising energy storage devices due to their high theoretical energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the shuttle effect of polysulfides during the charging and discharging processes leads to a rapid decline in capacity, thereby restricting their application in energy storage. The separator, a crucial component of Li-S batteries, facilitates the transport of Li+ ions.

Prevalence of malnutrition among adult inpatients in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Malnutrition substantially contributes to adverse clinical outcomes. However, no national survey has been conducted to characterize its epidemiology in hospital settings in China. We conducted the China Nutrition Fundamental Data 2020 project among a multistage stratified cluster sample of adult inpatients from 291 study sites across 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (except for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Province, and the Xizang Autonomous Region, please see MATERIALS AND METHODS for details of the causes) of China to generate reliable data on the prevalence of malnutrition and explore the associated risk factors.

The Longitudinal Relationship between Adolescents' Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis.

Despite extensive research on the relationship between adolescents' prosocial behavior and well-being, few studies have examined the relationships between prosocial acts towards different targets (family, friends, and strangers) and both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being over time, especially within the cultural context of China, where relational closeness are highly emphasized. To address this research gap, the present study conducted a longitudinal investigation involving 514 Chinese adolescents (M = 13.75 years, SD = 1.

Comparing the efficacy of 3D-printing-assisted surgery with traditional surgical treatment of fracture: an umbrella review.

Background: The objective of this review is to evaluate the methodological quality of meta-analyses and observe the consistency of the evidence they generated to provide comprehensive and reliable evidence for the clinical use of three-dimensional (3D) printing in surgical treatment of fracture.

Methods: We searched three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) up until August 2024. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were adhered to in this review.

Health state assessment method for complex system based on multiexpert joint belief rule base.

The health of complex systems continues to decline as they operate over long periods of time, so it is important to assess the health state of complex systems. Belief rule base (BRB) is widely used in the field of health state assessment of complex systems as a semi-quantitative method that can address uncertainty effectively and with interpretability. In practical engineering, BRB still has problems: the incompleteness of expert knowledge and the inconsistency of the cognitive abilities of each expert have an effect on the construction of the model and interpretability.

A novel multiple directional shearing interferometry system with synchronous polarization phase shifting.

This paper explores a multi-directional (multiple directional) shearing synchronous polarization phase-shifting interferometer that utilizes a birefringent crystal displacer. This design effectively mitigates nonlinear issues and environmental influences commonly encountered in synchronous phase-shifting interferometry. Additionally, it enables the acquisition of shear wavefront information from multiple directions.

Multicentre, multitime, multidimension, prospective follow-up cohort study on patients during the first wave of COVID-19 in China: a study protocol.

Introduction: During the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the surge of COVID-19 cases was rapid and drastic. Emerging evidence suggests that beyond the acute phase, patients with COVID-19 may experience a wide range of postacute or long COVID sequelae. However, the mechanism and burden of COVID-19, especially long COVID, have not yet been comprehensively clarified.

Rational design of a starch/whey protein isolate/caffeic acid ternary system to alleviate gel deterioration during freeze-thaw cycles.

To strengthen starch gel quality and improve the deterioration from freeze-thaw cycles, corn starch/whey protein isolate (WPI)/caffeic acid (CA) composite gels were rationally constructed in this study. The results showed that the introduction of WPI and CA significantly optimized the microstructure of the gels, an observation verified by SEM and CLSM. In addition, FT-IR and XRD analyses further revealed that the interaction mechanism within the composite gel was mainly due to the reinforcement of hydrogen bonds.

Cellulose nanofiber-reinforced antimicrobial and antioxidant multifunctional hydrogel with self-healing, adhesion for enhanced wound healing.

Current conventional wound dressings used for wound healing are often characterized by restricted bioactivity and devoid of multifunctionality resulting in suboptimal treatment and prolonged healing. Despite recent advances, the simultaneous incorporation of excellent flexibility, good mechanical performance, self-healing, bioactivity, and adhesion properties into the dressings without complicating their efficacy while maintaining simple synthesis remains a grand challenge. Herein, we effectively synthesized hybrid hydrogels of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and curcumin-modified silver nanoparticles (cAg) through a one-step synthesis method based on hydrogen bonds, dynamic boronic ester bonds, and coordinate covalent bonds.

Gallic acid-grafted chitosan photothermal hydrogels functionalized with mineralized copper-sericin nanoparticles for MRSA-infected wound management.

The management of wounds infected with drug-resistant bacteria represents a significant challenge to public health globally. Nanotechnology-functionalized photothermal hydrogel with good thermal stability, biocompatibility and tissue adhesion exhibits great potential in treating these infected wounds. Herein, a novel photothermal hydrogel (mCS-Cu-Ser) was prepared through in situ mineralization in the hydrogel networks and ion cross-linking driven by copper ions (∼3 mM).

Carbon Cycle of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (CCP): Biosynthesis and Biodegradation.

Carbon neutrality of bioactive materials is vital in promoting sustainable development for human society. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) is a class of typical carbon-cycle bio-polyesters synthesized by microorganisms using sugars, organic acids, and even carbon dioxide. PHAs first degrade into 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) before further breaking down into carbon dioxide and water, aligning with carbon-neutral goals.

Contrastive independent subspace analysis network for multi-view spatial information extraction.

Multi-view classification integrates features from different views to optimize classification performance. Most of the existing works typically utilize semantic information to achieve view fusion but neglect the spatial information of data itself, which accommodates data representation with correlation information and is proven to be an essential aspect. Thus robust independent subspace analysis network, optimized by sparse and soft orthogonal optimization, is first proposed to extract the latent spatial information of multi-view data with subspace bases.

Inactivation activity and mechanism of high-voltage pulsed electric fields combined with antibacterial agents against Alicyclobacillus spp. in apple juice.

Alicyclobacillus spp. are crucial factors affecting the quality of fruit juice, so it is very important to control their contamination. In this study, the inactivation activity and mechanism of high-voltage pulsed electric fields (HVPEF) combined with antibacterial agents against Alicyclobacillus spp.

The fate of butyrospermol in camellia oil: Absorption and mechanism analysis.

Butyrospermol, a minor yet important compound in camellia oil, has anti-inflammatory effects. However, its absorption, elimination, and the influence of oil on its bioavailability remain unclear. This study investigated the logP, stability in simulated digestive fluids and liver tissue, absorption parameters of different forms of butyrospermol, and binding of butyrospermol to the Niemann-Pick C1-like 1-N-terminal domain (NPC1L1-NTD).

The synergistic antibacterial effects of allicin nanoemulsion and ε-polylysine against Escherichia coli in both planktonic and biofilm forms.

The synergistic effects of allicin nanoemulsion (AcN) and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) against Escherichia coli were investigated in this study. The combination of AcN and ε-PL synergistically inhibited the planktonic growth of E. coli, with a low fractional inhibitory concentration index of 0.

Regenerable AgNPs-CdSNWs/Nanofilm as SERS substrates for sensitive detection of carbamate pesticides.

The accurate detection of carbamate pesticides popularly employed in agricultural products is critical for reducing the threat of resultant residues to human health. In this work, a regenerable nanofilm used for SERS substrate was constructed by interfacially confined self-assembly incorporating CdS nanowires (CdSNWs) and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). The constructed AgNPs-CdSNWs/Nanofilm could significantly enhance the Raman signals of three carbamate pesticides (metolcarb, carbaryl and aldicarb-sulfone).

Pyro-Thermolysis Pattern Analysis of Selenopeptide in Selenium-Enriched Rice Based on Two-Dimensional Dietary Kinetics Evolution.

Selenopeptides can be ideal dietary selenium (Se) supplements for humans. Currently, rice is not used much as a source of selenopeptides. Here, we executed the selenopeptidomics analysis of selenium-enriched rice protein hydrolysates using the full MS-dd-MS2 acquisition method and identified selenopeptides, including L{Se-Met}AK and other selenopeptides.

Metabolic Reprogramming of Neural Stem Cells by Chiral Nanofiber for Spinal Cord Injury.

Exogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) have great potential to reconstitute damage spinal neural circuitry. However, regulating the metabolic reprogramming of NSCs for reliable nerve regeneration has been challenging. This report discusses the biomimetic dextral hydrogel (DH) with right-handed nanofibers that specifically reprograms the lipid metabolism of NSCs, promoting their neural differentiation and rapid regeneration of damaged axons.

Correlation of precisely fabricated geometric characteristics of DNA-origami nanostructures with their cellular entry in human lens epithelial cells.

Human lens epithelial cells (hLECs) are critical for lens transparency, and their aberrant metabolic activity and gene expression can lead to cataract. Intracellular delivery to hLECs, especially to sub-cellular organelles (e.g.

Phonon Involved Photoluminescence of Mn Ions Doped CsPbCl Micro-Size Perovskite Assembled Crystals.

Mn ions doped CsPbCl perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit superiority of spin-associated optical and electrical properties. However, precisely controlling the doping concentration, doping location, and the mono-distribution of Mn ions in the large-micro-size CsPbCl perovskite host is a formidable challenge. Here, the micro size CsPbCl perovskite crystals (MCs) are reported with uniform Mn ions doping by self-assembly of Mn ions doped CsPbCl perovskite NCs.